Matt Gaetz wins U.S. House District 1 in midterm elections 2018

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks during the Freedom Tour, which also featured Republican Reps. Ron DeSantis and Jim Jordan, at the Fish House on Saturday, August 18, 2018. Gaetz is running for re-election in Florida's 1st congressional district, which includes the panhandle. DeSantis, a gubernatorial candidate, currently represents Florida's 6th congressional district, which includes Palm Coast and Daytona Beach on the east coast. Jordan founded the Freedom Caucus and represents Ohio's 4th congressional district. He also is a candidate for Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.(Photo11: Jody Link/online@pnj.com)

Matt Gaetz secured his second congressional term Tuesday night with a solid victory over Democratic challenger Jennifer Zimmerman.

Gaetz secured the seat with about 67 percent of the votes, compared to Zimmerman's nearly 33 percent.

Gaetz also handily won the Republican primary in August, defeating challengers Cris Dosev and John Mills to secure the party's nomination.

Gaetz is an outspoken defender of President Donald Trump's administration and has become a conservative media darling for his unapologetic criticisms of the Russia probe, federal investigators' alleged special treatment of Democrats and the purported efforts of social media platforms to silence conservative viewpoints.

The congressman even earned an endorsement from the POTUS himself. In a July 13 Twitter post, Trump praised Gaetz as "one of the finest and most talented people in Congress."

The incumbent held almost no campaign events in Northwest Florida leading up to Tuesday's election, instead opting to campaign for politicians in other parts of the state. He was a no-show at a town hall meeting in October meant to highlight local candidates' views on sea level rise, instead attending the Florida gubernatorial debate at Broward College in Davie acting as a surrogate for DeSantis.

Gaetz has said in the past that he doesn't see Democratic challengers as a serious threat in a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2:1.

Gaetz's Democratic opponent in the race was Zimmerman, a Pace pediatrician who ran on a pro-immigration platform and tried to appeal to voters as a "political outsider." The congressional race was Zimmerman's first foray into politics, and she hoped her "just to the left of center" politics would win over some of the more middle-of-the-road voters.

But Zimmerman's campaign finance coffers were no match for Gaetz's. In finance records reported to the Federal Election Commission, between Jan. 1, 2017, and Oct. 17, 2018, Gaetz's campaign raised $1,150,146 and spent $989,518, most of that during the primaries. Zimmerman, by contrast, raised just $54,452 and spent $51,165.

Gaetz's first two years in office weren't without controversy — he drew fire for his numerous television media appearances, his proposal to eliminate the U.S. Environmental Protection Administration and his lack of support for a human trafficking bill, for which his vote was the lone "no" vote in all of Congress.